Bachman Clem is brilliant

Bridging the gap between interior design and children’s furniture, Bachman Brown Clem has put the spotlight on a neglected niche with his new gallery, kinder MODERN. Co-founded with Lora Appleton, kinder MODERN showcases vintage children’s design from the 20th century from designers like Hans Wegner, Friso Kramer and Marc Berthier. To give you an idea, the showroom looks something like the daycare section of a Mad Men-era Design Within Reach.

The idea came to Clem and Appleton when she enlisted his help in furnishing her 4-year-old son’s bedroom. When they were less than inspired by the offerings on the market, which were either mini replicas of modern pieces or aesthetically lacking mass-retail options, a lightbulb went off in her head.

“She called me out of the blue one night at, literally, I think it was 2 a.m., and she was like, ‘Bachman! We’re going into business together,’” Clem recounts. “’We’re going to start a kids vintage furniture company.’ Even at 2 a.m. I was like, ‘This is a brilliant idea.’”

Combining Appleton’s print design experience with Clem’s interior design experience, which includes running his own full-service interior design firm, Bachman Brown Design, the result is a very well-curated showroom. The collection at kinder MODERN shares the same aesthetic and design sensibilities that Clem is drawn to when choosing pieces for someone’s home, which he likens to collecting art. “Each piece needs to be special. You should love everything that goes into your home.” This mentality is clearly reflected in the shelves of unique pieces that line kinder MODERN’s walls.

Clem has always been fascinated by how to fill and arrange a room, something he’s been experimenting with since a young age in his native Paris, TX. “I should’ve known; I was constantly at my aunt’s and parents’ houses rearranging and redecorating.” But it was two women, friend’s of his mother’s, whose homes can be credited for influencing his interior-design destiny. He was blown away by how impeccable their interiors were, especially for a small town like Paris, TX, but also how effortless it felt. “Things looked natural, as though they were meant to be there,” he describes. That was the moment he fell in love with interior design.

After graduating from Connecticut College with a dual degree in architectural studies and art history, Clem lived in London for a year before moving to Santa Fe, where he worked for the late architect and designer Susan Butcher. His time there saw another turning point, as he moved away from architecture and cemented his desire to pursue interior design. “I became obsessed with her sample library and would spend hours poring over fabrics, stones, woods, carpeting and threads.”

That desire only grew stronger when he moved to New York to officially start his interior design career, and put down roots in a showroom-worthy place of his own. “When I first moved to New York, I saved up my money and bought piece by piece, because I only wanted things that I really love.” While his apartment is “tiny,” he has collected about 20 treasured pieces over time. Some of his favorites include a mid-twentieth century iron Milo Baughman coffee table and one of contemporary French artist Francois Morellet’s iconic geometric metal sphere sculptures.

As for the gallery, Clem and Appleton choose American and European designers that reflect their personal tastes: clean lines, geometric shapes and overall minimal pieces with pops of color. Besides vintage finds, kinder MODERN also represents LA-based design firm Al Que Quiere, which makes contemporary furniture and decorative objects, and Netherlands-based designer Lucas Maassen, whose sons help paint his furniture designs. Both have designed kids’ lines for the gallery. Locally, the works of Harry Heissmann, 2Michaels Design and Brad Ford regularly catch Clem’s eye, and he frequents design galleries like Weinberg Modern, R 20th Century Design, and Donzella, as well as fine art galleries like Barbara Gladstone and Gagosian.

Clem’s art history background and collector mentality have helped him launch kinder MODERN with great success. This past spring, kinder MODERN was one of only 23 exhibitors selected for Steve Learner’s inaugural Collective design fair at Pier 57 in Hudson River Park. The gallery has also been featured in Architectural Digest, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Vogue. See for yourself what the buzz is about the next time New York City is gray and miserable, because kinder MODERN is just the place to go for a refreshing shot of color and whimsy.